Gorman’s Chris Sheff named new baseball coach at CSN

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Published Friday, July 9, 2010 | 5:06 p.m.

Updated Friday, July 9, 2010 | 5:52 p.m.

Bishop Gorman High's Chris Sheff was hired Friday as the new baseball coach and athletic director at the College of Southern Nevada.

Sheff, who led the Gaels to the last five large-school state championships, replaces Tim Chambers.

Chambers, who also was formerly Gorman's coach, took the UNLV baseball coaching position last month after leading CSN to the Junior College World Series.

Chambers spent 11 years at CSN, building the Coyotes into a perennial national power and winning the 2003 World Series.

Sheff expects to pick up where Chambers left off.

"I'm excited. It's a great opportunity to step into," Sheff said. "Tim did a great job of building the program. It's nationally known, and the facility is great. We are looking forward to continuing (what he started)."

Sheff transformed the Gaels into one of the nation's top high school programs in seven years at Gorman. They won five high-school state crowns, four summer American Legion titles, one high-school national championship and the 2008 American Legion World Series.

Along the way, Sheff has picked up numerous coaching awards and several of his players have been drafted or advanced to college baseball.

"Coach Sheff comes to us with extensive experience and a desire to help student athletes succeed," CSN President Michael Richards said in a statement. "He's ready to continue CSN's winning tradition in baseball."

He said leaving Gorman was a tough decision. The Gaels are one state title away from matching Green Valley High's streak of six straight from 1993-98 and Sheff very easily could have coached the rest of his life at the Summerlin private school.

"This is a very great thing for my family and the people coming with me," Sheff said. "But it is tough to leave the Gorman community where I spent seven great years of my life. A lot of people in this town bleed that blue and orange."

Sheff, who still is coaching Gorman's Legion affiliate, will spend the weekend transitioning to the new position. His biggest goal will be assembling a roster before school starts next month. He said there should be a few holdovers from last year's squad.

He plans on having a working relationship with Chambers' program at UNLV — something that lacked between the two universities in years past — and will continue with the junior-college program's theory of building its team through locals.

"There is enough talent in this city alone to make both programs good," Sheff said.